Invisible Illness

Chronic disease: A disease that persists for a long time. A chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear.

At the age of 10 I was diagnosed with ulcerative proctitis. Then ulcerative colitis and then Crohns disease. These illnesses are among the many invisible illnesses. They make you feel so much pain and yet people can't physically see it. I don't know how many times I was told "But you don't look sick." People can't see the pain you are in except from seeing it in your eyes. For me there were times where people didn't believe my pain. 

Sometimes your friends and family feel helpless because they don’t know what to do to help you in your times of pain. At least for me the best thing you can do is believe them and comfort them. You can’t make the pain go away but you can make them feel less alone. Feeling lonely makes everything so much worse and knowing you have at least one person on your side at all times is a great feeling. Another thing you can do is educate yourself on the illness so you can understand what the person is going through. Lay in bed with them and watch Netflix. Just don’t let them feel alone. 

With any disease it’s easy to put yourself into a slump and think negatively. It’s not easy to be strong when your body is being so weak. Like I have said in the past I try so hard to be strong but inside I’m a wreck. Let your family and friends support you because you gain strength from them. When you are so sick one of the best remedies for your mental health is to try to be as strong and as positive as you can. When you can’t be strong let others be strong for you. That’s one of the greatest lessons I've learned.